The level of excitement and enthusiasm surrounding Mark Mangino and the Kansas Jayhawks is at an all-time high. In years past, the majority of Hawk fans spent most of the college football year talking about and waiting for the basketball squad to make a possible Final Four run, but that's all changed.

After years of setbacks and frustrations, the foundation has been laid and the expectations in Lawrence, Kan., are higher than ever.

"I think we are progressing very well. I am pleased where we are at this point and time. We are no longer sponsoring a football team at KU," said Mangino. "We have a football program. We have all the elements in place to be successful and we are never going to go backwards. The days of 2-10 are over. Though there is still much work to be done, but we have a foundation and platform to work from and we are right on target to where we should be at this point and time.

"We are recruiting well and are putting the pieces together," he added. "I don't think any particular record will say that we've arrived and I don't think there is any record that will make us look like we've gone backwards."

Turning around a football program that has an extremely passionate and competitive fan base has been no easy task. However, the final pieces of the puzzle appear to be in place. For Mangino and his staff, the process has been anything but easy.